The Drawing Act
by Coco-Minu
Summary: In bright orange crayon, he had drawn his picture. Silently, they all agreed it was the best. Oneshot, Team Seven.


A random moment passed, in which I came to realise something. Almost every character in Naruto has a certain colour only they wear. I just had a thought about it, then this idea came around. Pretty soon it was all linked up, so here it is. This is centered mostly around a chibi Team Seven, Ino and Sakura's friendship and Sasuke leaving. Yes, Ami is a real character. See episode 32 or so, maybe 33. Now just read it, isn't that why you clicked on the link to it in the first place? 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Yet.

* * *

** "Painting is an attempt to come to terms with life.  
There are as many solutions as there are human beings"**

_-George Tooker_

* * *

Naruto sat on the swing, not really paying any attention to what was going on around him. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter why the other kids were so mean to him anymore. The simple fact was that they all treated him the same way, and he didn't know why. He scrunched up his nose in disgust. Bullies. He didn't understand what he had done that was so wrong. But there were some people who were nice to him.

First there was Sakura-chan. The girl that everyone picked on. They all said she had a big forehead, but he didn't think it was that big. In the mind of a seven year old Naruto, he actually though it was quite cute. It wasn't that bad. But people teased her about it, making her insecure and inconfident. He didn't like it when they teased her, it made him angry. But whenever he stuck up for her, the bigger kids always kicked or punched him. He never told his sensei, Iruka, where all the bruises came from when he asked.

Secondly, there was Ino-chan. She always stood up for him and Sakura, even against the meanest girl. Ami always picked on him and Sakura the most. Sakura had told Naruto Ino knew all about flowers, to which Naruto felt slightly jealous of the other blonde. He felt like somebody else could stand up for her, but he couldn't. He didn't like feeling like that. Sometimes it made him cry, but he never let any of them see. He wanted them to think he was strong.

Shikamaru, Kiba and Chouji were all his friends too. The other kids called them losers, but they didn't care. Probably because Shikamaru found it too troublesome to listen to them, just falling asleep on the desk whenever they said anything to him about it. People insulted Chouji because of his weight, but he either didn't listen or just didn't care. He just shared out his beloved chips as usual, being the kind person he was. They insulted Kiba for hanging around with them, that was about it. Naruto and Kiba were the hyperactive ones. Kiba even got into trouble for bringing his dog into school, but he didn't care. They were a good group of friends, no matter what other people said to them. He didn't care if they were losers.

One person he had never really talked to was a shy navy-haired girl who he sometimes saw. She poked her head around corners, looking around them carefully for any signs of danger. Naurto always assumed she was important, or maybe an angel. Nobody ever said anything to her, not without getting into trouble. But she never said anything back to them, always reamining silent and sometimes blushing a light shade of pink. He preffered to think she was an angel, because Sakura had told him about angels. She had said they were pretty, and that they always looked over you to take care of you. It seemed that was what she done, so why couldn't she be? She just had to be one, he thought stubbornly.

He felt around in his pocket for something to eat. He was getting hungry, but he couldn't find anything. Pulling one object out of the orange cloth, he realised what it was and smiled.

It was a bright orange crayon.

As much as it seemed odd, Naruto liked to draw. Pulling himself off of the swing seat, he began to walk towards the school enterance again. He pushed open the door carefully, looking around before walking in. A large, loud voice soon interrupted the silence.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." It remarked. He looked around to see Ami standing there, a cruel smirk on her face. He backed into the corner, not sure of what to do or say. It wasn't like she would listen to him anyway. His lip quivered, the blonde hairs on the nape of his neck standing up in terror. He clung to the crayon with determination, not wanting to let his small comfort go.

"Hey! Don't pick on him!" A defiant voice called out behind her. Naruto smiled at the blonde girl standing behind her who had come to his rescue. Ino. She was coming to his rescue again, but he didn't want her to ride in on her white horse and do so this time. He wanted to stand up for himself.

"I can stand up for myself." He muttered half-heartedly, moving out of the corner again. Ami had turnt around, ready to punch Ino. For once, the other blonde girl actually looked scared as the clenched fist connected with her gut. She coughed slightly, a little dribble of blood coming from her mouth. Ami shreiked at the sight of the scarlet liquid, moving backwards. Naruto took his chance and ran forward, his foot sticking out behind her. The brunette fell, screaming at the two. Ino stuck out her tounge, then ran. Naruto followed her, panting heavily.

"Thankyou, Ino-chan." He said gratefully as he collapsed on the floor, panting heavily for breath. She grinned down at him, Sakura appearing behind her suddenly. The pink-haired girl looked excited. She was blushing a light shade of pink.

"Ino-chan, Sasuke is here!" She exclaimed happily. He saw the blonde haired girl's eyes widen, then she turnt to look at the other. Naruto sat up, looking behind to two young girls. Sure as hell, a raven-haired boy sat on a bench. He looked quite lost in his own thoughts, chewing on a riceball avidly. The two girls stared at him, and Naruto felt a wave of jealousy.

"Sasuke-kun! Hey!" Ino shouted out, and the boy looked up smiling. She waved, and he waved back. Ino pulled Sakura by the hand, running over and sitting next to him. Naruto pulled himself to his feet, then followed them. He didn't even noticed he had dropped the crayon in the dirt.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked him, in wonder from how this 'Sasuke-kun' and his prescence had effected the two girls. They both seemed to like him alot, so did that mean they could be friends too? His initial jealousy disappeared, and he smiled at the other boy. Sasuke smiled back, seemingly a little nervous of him and all the attention.

"Sasuke Uchiha. You're Naruto, right?" He asked. Naruto nodded, still grinning at him. This boy knew about him? He knew about the Uchiha family too. Everyone did. He heard everyone say they were geniuses, that this boy's family did a great thing for the town running the police. Somebody he heard about most was Itachi Uchiha, a boy about the age of thirteen. According to Iruka-sensei, he was already in the ranks of the elite ANBU black ops. His grin grew.

"Sasuke-kun, did you want to play with us?" Ino asked, holding his arm enthusiastically. Sakura sat blushing at his other side, smiling at him shyly. He looked at Ino, then nodded a yes. The blonde girl practically jumped out of her seat in joy, the other two following her. Naruto immediatly fell into the same pace as Sasuke as Sakura ran ahead and walked next to Ino.

"You dropped your crayon." Sasuke informed him, smiling slightly still. Naruto suddenly felt like an idiot, looking to his hand to confirm this information. It was true. He looked around frantically, despeatly trying to locate it's bright orange colour. Sasuke pointed a finger to where Naruto had sat panting moments before. Blue eyes rested in the spot, and he saw it. Thanking Sasuke, he ran over and reclaimed it before catching the charcoal-eyed boy up again.

* * *

"Ino-chan, what are you going to draw?" Sakura asked her friend, her eyes darting inbetween the colours of the pink crayon and the red crayon. They were both so pretty, and she couldn't decide which one to use. Ino reached for the purple crayon, then began to scribble. Her tounge stuck out from the concentration as she drew. 

"Kurenai-sensei." She announced, narrowing her eyes as she answered. She was absorbed in her drawing, and Kurenai was her favourite teacher. She proved that women could be strong, and she always looked so pretty. Ino couldn't understand why she didn't wear more purple. Sasuke took the charcoal black crayon, then began to draw on his sheet of paper.

"Well I'm drawing me and my brother." He said certainly, his tounge also sticking out as he concentrated. Sakura chose the pink, then tried to think up her own idea to no avail. No matter how much she thought, she just couldn't decide what to draw. She looked up at Naruto, who also seemed torn between choices. He looked back at her, looking agitated.

"I don't know what to draw." He told her, biting his lip in confusion. As if a sudden brainwave crossed him, his eyes lit up. He knew now. She looked at her blank sheet of paper, then to her friends. She knew what she was going to draw as well.

Several minutes later, they all examied each other's work with genuine interest. Sasuke looked at Ino's, then burst into a fit of laughter. She growled at him in anger.

"Kurenai-sensei doesn't wear purple." He stated. Ino looked at his picture, also beginning to laugh loudly. He scowled at her deeply.

"Your brother can't hit all those targets at once." She told him, poking her tounge out at him. Sasuke had drawn his brother during his practice, with him watching. He now glared at her.

"Can _so_." He said stubbornly. Ino just poked her tounge out at him again, not believing him. It was his turn to growl at her. She just laughed even more, making him ignore her stroppily. She turnt her attention to Sakura instead.

"What did you draw?" She asked. Sakura lifted it up. On her paper, there was a picture of her and Sasuke. She didn't say what it was, but Ino knew. She didn't know what to say, instead just turning her look to Naruto. He lifted his up, showing her it proudly.

His picture was slightly messy, drawn in orange crayon. Occasional smudges were across the page, and one of the corners was torn slightly. But Ino smiled at it, and so did Sakura. Sasuke looked around, wondering why everything had gone silent. He saw the picture, and he smiled too.

His picture was of the four of them, playing in the summer sun. They all looked like they were having fun, and he had drawn himself in a orange outfit. He had decided that was his new favourite colour, and he was going to wear it from now on. They all looked so happy.

Without words, they all agreed that it was the best.

* * *

"Ino-_pig_! Sasuke could never like you!" The harsh words rang out loudly, and Naruto felt the long hair of the blonde standing next to him whip into his back. She glared at the other girl, the one who had dared to challenge her. The girl who's confidence she had helped to grow was glaring at her, smirking at her reaction to the insult. Sakura Haruno, her former best friend. 

"I've got a better chance than someone with a _billboard brow_!" She shouted back, her fists clenched in anger. Naruto hated it when they fought. So did Shikamaru, by the look of it. He looked at Ino, a dark frown crossing his features.

"Both of you have such loud voices. Women are troublesome." He announced, then hoped Ino wouldn't hear him. No such luck. She turnt on him, glaring profoundly at him. Fire lit in her eyes, and Naruto felt a wave of pity for the boy usually know as a lazy bum.

"Nobody asked you!" She yelled, her voice getting higher. Shikamaru covered his ears with his hands, muttering what a drag she was. He walked to his seat, then plopped down, no longer even listening to the words she was screeching at him. A packet of chips landed on the desk infront of him, and Naruto saw him grin at Chouji across the room in a silent thankyou as Ino continued to rant at him with no signs of stopping. She sat down in her own chair next to him, her voice finally lowering. Sakura jumped out of her seat, and Naruto automatically knew what this meant.

Sasuke had entered the vincity.

Cue catfighting between the fangirls. The most dominant of them all being Sakura and Ino. Ino also jumped out of her seat, and Sasuke sat down calmly ignoring them. They both ran over, beginning to argue over who would sit next to him. Even Sasuke himself knew better than to tell them that they had assigned seats. Naruto sighed loudly, mimicking Shikamaru by covering his ears. He sat in his own seat, not even bothering to pay attention to their fight any longer. He would vouch for Sakura to win, but then she would sit next to Sasuke. He liked her more, so why was he all she ever went on about? A part of him then wanted Ino to win instead. As if on cue, Iruka entered the room and they both returned to their seats silently.

"Settle down, everyone. You all know your graduation test is tomorrow." He said, then wished he hadn't. He knew what this meant. Some people would be fighting to stay together, to get put in a team with the people they wanted to be with. Meaning Sasuke's little 'fan club' (as most of the teachers called them, with obivious reasoning) would be fighting to be with him. Really, it was just a question of how well they did on the test. But the silent genius sat almost as if he were oblivious to this fact. Personally, Iruka felt that he just didn't care about it.

As he continued to teach, most of the students sat still not paying attention to a word he said. Naruto glared at Sasuke from time to time, Ino and Sakura exchanged dark and murderous looks, Shikamaru was asleep, Chouji was eating his chips, Kiba was playing with Akamaru, the list could go on. The only few who actually seemed to be paying were Hinata, Shino and of course Sasuke. He shook his head, coming to a conclusion. He cleared his throat, and they all looked up. He had caputured their attention again.

"As I can see none of you are paying attention, you may go home and study instead." He announced. Plus, he needed a little extra vacation time himself. Even your average Chunin needed a break every now and then. He didn't appear to do much work, but he was the man behind the scenes. He made everything at this school work. His job was seemingly small, but actually quite a large one. If he didn't teach most of these pupils, who would? Their teaching faculty would be too small a group. The students stared at him, as if trying to make sure if they had heard him correctly or not. Even Sasuke was looking at him as if he had finally cracked. He repeated what he had just said, then they all seemed to take it in. Packing their bags, they all left. He smiled at the empty room, the opened his desk and pulled out a book.

He loved these quiet days.

* * *

Naruto walked down the street, not really paying attention to where he was going. He needed to study so he was ready for the test tomorrow. Suddenly, something walked into him. He fell to the ground, rubbing his head as he did so. His goggles better not have been smashed. He felt around for them holding up his mess of hair, then smiled. Not a scratch. He looked up, and Shikamaru and Chouji stared down at him. 

"Ramen, if I am thinking on the same wave length as you?" Chouji asked. Naruto nodded, standing up and walking into the stall next to him. He pulled out a scroll, laying it down on the counter. He opened it quickly, reading the contents and trying to memorise it. No matter how hard he tried, it all seemed to disappear the moment he was certain he knew it. Ayame walked over the Chouji, smiling at him and Shikamaru as they sat next to Naruto.

"Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru! Nice to see you again!" She announced, grinning at them brightly. Her father stood behind them cooking, and Naruto could tell by the smell it was miso. He looked around, seeing who else was sitting at the stall. As if oblivious to the world, Ino sat on a bench not two seats away from them with a scroll open. She was focusing on it venehmetly, her eyes narrowed on it and her tounge sticking out. As always, he grinned. She was so quiet for once it seemed none of them had even noticed she was there. Shikamaru was the next to see her, smiling at her. Chouji did the same. She didn't even seem to notice, she was too absorbed in what she was reading. Naruto grinned too. She looked just like she did when they were kids, drawing those pictures so long ago. Except this time, she wasn't holding a purple crayon. He grinned again at the stupid thought he had just had. He wondered what had happened to that crayon anyway.

"One pork, one beef and a miso." Naruto recited their usual order. It was rare they ate together anymore. It seemed the 'losers' as they had been called had disbanded slightly, none of them really even realising it as time went on. That was, none of them except Naruto. His eyes didn't leave Ino. She had never really been a loser, neither had Sasuke. Or Sakura. Or Kiba. Or Shikamaru and Chouji even. Maybe it was just him, but it seemed like because they were all friends they were actually all quite popular in a strange way. They all had each other to depend on, even if other people did insult them. None of them had cared back then. But now it seemed that looks and popularity were just another contest between the two female members of their group, and the males had just gradually got swept away in it.

"Hey guys. One chicken, thanks." Kiba plonked himself on the fourth seat, inbetween Naruto and the female. He pointed at Ino, then mouthed if she was ok. Naruto nodded, then grinned. It seemed almost all of his old friends were here now. Just not Sakura, or even Sasuke. He had to admit-as much as he now hated Sasuke-he sort of wished he and Sakura were here. The old 'loser' club, finally reunited. Even if they were not all 'losers' anymore, even if they were not to begin with. As if one cue, Sasuke plopped unto the seat next to Shikamaru with his own scroll opened, also deep in concentration. Naruto smiled. If Sakura were here now, it would be a perfect moment.

"One miso, please." Sasuke said polietly. As if on cue, Ino looked up. She smiled at him, and he looked at her coldly. Suprisingly, she didn't jump on him like she usually did. She just turnt around again, a sad frown on her features now. She continued to concentrate on the scroll, all of them staring at her. Had she had a sudden personality change where it was now 'cool' to be a human enigma like the Uchiha, or was she ill? Naruto now doubted what he had told Kiba. Before he could ask her about it, the dog boy lifted his hand and placed it on her forehead. She looked up, seemingly shocked. A look of anger crossed her face, and Akamaru whimpered.

"Get your hand off my head. Now." She demanded. He dropped his hand, and all of them thanked Ayame as she dropped the ramen in front of them. Ino picked up her chopsticks, then began to eat carefully. She didn't even want to think how many calories was in this. But in some form of nostaligia, she felt she had to stay there. After all, she was one of the old 'losers' club. Even if she did not like to admit it openly. As if it were spontaneous, Sakura burst into the stall grinning. She jumped on Sasuke, hugging him tightly. Ino had seen Naruto smile when she had entered, but now he had looked away and was frowning deeply. One of her thin blonde eyebrows twitched, and Shikamaru was staring at her with a scared expression on his face. Kiba looked at the girl sitting next to him, waiting for her to snap. To their suprise, she did not.

Instead, she rolled he scroll up again and walked out. If that wasn't the most out of character thing Naruto had ever seen, he didn't know what it was. He saw Shikamaru and Chouji get up and follow her, probably purely out of concern for the girl. Kiba followed them, leaving money to pay for them all on the till. Akamaru followed him. Sakura looked up, then unlatched from Sasuke. Taking Ino's old seat, she smiled at Ayame before ordering a chicken ramen. Sasuke looked at her, glaring at her much like he had Ino. He muttered something sounding alot like 'damn fangirls' and 'I don't get any peace' then pulled some money out of his pocket, placed it on the counter and left abruptly in the opposite direction to what the other group had gone in, his scroll in hand.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned, but he didn't look around. He never did pay that much attention to her. Naruto looked at her, seeing her disappointment. Would she ever notice him? His own disappointment made him frown deeply. Maybe someday, she would understand.

* * *

"Ino-_pig_, don't walk away!" Sakura said spitefully, Ino looking behind her. The blonde gave her one look of ignorance, then carried on walking. Sakura called out again, and again. Eventually, she rounded on her in annoyance. 

"What do you want,_ forehead-girl_?" She hissed angrily. Sakura backed away a few steps, sensing Ino's fowl mood. It seemed like something had upset her, but she did not want to say what it was. Really, Sakura felt kind of bad about it. Had it been something she had done? Even though they were rivals, it still seemed wrong to let her act like this. Especially after what happened at the ramen stall the day beforhand. Shikamaru, Chouji and even Kiba had refused to tell her what had happened afterwards. She felt something sting inside her.

"Are you ok?" She asked. Ino seemed stunned for a moment, then regained her composure. She flicked her hair, not really giving anything away. There was no way she was going to tell the pink haired girl what she thought, especially after this day. Sakura had finally won. She was on the team with Sasuke. Ino felt her eyes sting. There was nothing she could do about it either. She had felt the day before she would be on the same team as Shikamaru and Chouji, to carry on Ino-Shika-Cho like all the teams beforehand in their families had. But it still seemed so unfair. Sudden pride overcame her again, the urge to prove that she could still win.

"Fine, why wouldn't I be? After all, doesn't fondness make the heart grow stronger?" She sniped at Sakura cattily. The pink haired girl glared, and she glared back.

"You know, Ino-_pig_, things could be very different right now." She said softly, trying to calm herself down. She was entirely sure what she meant by it, and so was Ino. If she or Ino had not liked Sasuke that much to begin with, would they still have been friends? It wasn't like it mattered. This was the way it was-and as long as Sasuke was around-the way it would stay.

"I know, _forehead_. I know? Of course I know. I just don't care." Ino growled, not really meaning the words she said. She tried to forget, but she could still remember. The shy, innocent little Sakura she had befriended. The one who she had helped become more confident. The one who had ended their friendship for the sake of rivallry and what she called love. The one who she fought now everyday. The one she hated. Yes, she hated her. She hated all she had become. She gave a bitter smile, then walked away.

There would always be bridges to cross in friendship, that Sakura knew. Sometimes they needed repairing, sometimes they needed to be entirely rebuilt. Sometimes, they stayed demolished. Theywere never rebuilt, as no attempts were ever made at it. She hoped to dear God that both of their mistakes would someday be forgotten. Then just maybe, the bridge might be recreated.

The wind was blowing her hair in her eyes, and she felt around in her pocket for something to pin her bright pink bangs away with. She found nothing, then realised she was outside of her home anyway. She had walked this far without even realising, she sighed. Walking inside, she made her way straight upstairs into her bedroom and immediatly began searching her vanity drawer for the hairclips she could have sworn she had that morning. When it came to no avail, she tipped out the drawer on the floor. In the corner of the mess, she saw something pink and smiled. Her hairclips. Rummaging through the pile, she pulled it out. It wasn't her hairclips. It was a pink crayon.

She looked around in the mess, now not caring about the acessories she had been looking for. She was no longer outside anyway, so she doubted the wind could do anything to her hair. Finding an old-looking sheet of paper, she pulled it out and opened it up. There, in pink crayon, was a picture of her and Sasuke she had drawn when she was little. A frown came across her face as she looked at it, wondering why she hadn't inculded Ino in the picture if it was from so long ago. She could remember Naruto had, in a bright orange crayon. She smiled again at the thought.

In her eyes, his drawing was still the best of them all.

* * *

Naruto searched around his apartment, determined to find his milk for breakfast that morning. As if on an ultimate search for a clue, he acted like a detective as he tried to sniff it out. The obvious guess was the fridge, but it hadn't been in there. The next was his table, but it wasn't there either. Infact, it was nowhere in his kitchen. He moved on to his bedroom instead, trying to remember if he had wanted a late night drink. 

Rummaging under his bed, he pulled out various items. An old nightcap, some t-shirts from when he was about five. The odd dead bug, and the occasional mold-covered ramen bowl. He cringed at the sight of all the mess. Ever persistant however, he felt around one last time. Feeling something small, he knew it couldn't be the object he was searching for. But he pulled it out anyway, then saw what it was. He grinned from ear to ear. It was the (now slightly dusty and with faded colour) orange crayon from all those years ago.

Looking at his clothes, his grin expanded ever more. Feeling around under his bed some more, he pulled out a crumpled, yellowing sheet of paper and opened it carefully so that it would not tear. It was his picture. He smiled at it, looking at how he had drawn the four of them all looking so happy. Sakura and Ino hadn't been fighting over Sasuke then. Sasuke had even been happy, he still had smiled. So many things had happened to change them all. Now that three of them were on team seven, it seemed odd that Ino was in the picture too. However, he folded it up neatly again and slipped it into his pocket.

He had decided it was lucky.

* * *

That night in Konoha, Sakura looked around herself. She was worried. Not about the danger of walking in the streets alone. But about Sasuke and Naruto. They had both learnt such powerful new techniques. It seemed she was the only one who couldn't excel on their team. She looked at the floor, wondering about if Kakashi hadn't stopped them. She wouldn't have been able to, of that she was sure. She would have just got in the way and possibly even died. She didn't have a way to stop them both. Not like it mattered anymore. On their team, it now seemed she was the only one who hadn't got any better. Was she really that useless? She didn't even want to think about the answer to that. Looking down the road home, she turnt to her side and went down the other path instead. It was the path out of town, and she wanted to make sure. 

In the instant she saw him walking down the road, she knew she was wrong.

She was wrong to lose Ino as a friend. Wrong to treat Naruto the way she did in defence of Sasuke. Wrong to act like he might actually give a damn about her. A sob cracked in her throat, and she called out his name. She didn't know what was coming. She didn't need to even ask the question to him until she was certain of where he was going. After all, this was the road out of the village. The way you had to go to leave. The question caught in her throat, and she finally managed to call out to him. She had to ask him anyway, even if she couldn't stop him. She just had to know it, hear the questions herself to confirm them.

But she was pretty sure she already knew the terrifying answers.

* * *

A few days later, Ino had found out what happened. Sakura was certain she had never seen her old friend so shocked and disappointed. Sakura would have told her not to cry with scorn. She hadn't shed a tear herself, and she couldn't explain why. Ino wasn't one to show her tears, that Sakura knew. She just hoped Shikamaru and Chouji could help her take them away when she showed them, and hopefully try and give her some solace. Ino was one to bottle things up. But then again, so was she. 

So who was going to help her?

Sakura thought, but nobody came to mind. After all, why had she liked Sasuke in the first place? Because he had a pretty face. Because Ino liked him. Because she thought she might actually be able to help the boy who always seemed so distant and angry. Because she thought she could make a difference. But who was she kidding? She was Sakura Haruno, not superwoman. She was Sakura Haruno, a girl who had thrown everything away for that one boy. That one boy who couldn't care less about her feelings, and she was beginning to hate herself for it. She couldn't focus her mind. Taking a leaf from Shikamaru's book, she thought watching the clouds would have relaxed her. But it didn't. The swirling white shapes in the sky just confused her more. In a way, she thought they were just as disorganised as her thoughts were now.

"Sakura-chan?" She heard a voice ask quietly. She looked behind herself, then saw Naruto. She couldn't meet his eyes as he looked down at her where she sat. She wasn't powerful like him, he had almost stopped Sasuke. He had almost brought him home. He must hate her right now, must think she was so weak. Must think she was useless. He didn't repeat her name a second time, but he sat down beside her. Almost as if he were determined to cheer her up. He was watching her.

In a moment, he reached into his pocket and started rummaging furiously. She turnt to look at him finally, but still not in the eyes. This quiet Naruto was so unlike to the one she knew, and it seemed odd to her. He finally pulled something out. A folded up piece of paper. He unfolded it, frowned, then put it back in. A few minutes later, he unfolded another piece and smiled brightly. He handed it to her, and she took it to see what it was.

Finally, tears stung her eyes.

It was his picture from all those years ago.

**It had never looked better.**

* * *

Ah, it got kind of depressing towards the end. I'm so sorry! 

Reviews are much adored and appriciated, they make my day.

Thankyou!


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